Springdale Brewery Named Top 5 Tour Destination

Plenty of people have visited Saddlebock Brewery since it opened one and a half years ago.

"It's taken off at a really good pace," says owner Steve Rehbock. "We haven't been doing much, or any advertising. It's been word of mouth."

That word reached a writer from Yahoo.com, working on a piece about the country's coolest craft brew tours.

"We were listed as number five, I think, in the country," Rehbock says. "I was just speechless. I called my parents, I called my friends, started telling everybody about it."

Rehbock built the brewery from the ground up, with sustainability in mind.

"We've got 3 floors here, a lot of gravity fed materials, light that comes in from light panels," he says. "(It's) just very efficient."

The Yahoo article also mentions one of the most unique things about Saddlebock, its location. The brewery is built on a horse farm, overlooking the White River.

"We're out a little bit in the country," Rehbock says. "We've got a setting with different things than you'll get at a city type brewery. We've got hops fields. We've got horses, just a beautiful setting to be in." 2

Rehbock was surprised by the national recognition.

"They were some big breweries in there," he says. "It seemed like we were the only little local brewery among them."

But he's been expecting a surge in Northwest Arkansas craft beers.

"We're really seeing a switch in the alcohol industry and the beer industry," he says. "All of the big breweries are now foreign owned. Drinking local gives you a fresh product... it's on your shelves, just enjoy it and you're supporting the local economy."

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